Jasmine

I forgot to breathe as the pilot lowered us to the helipad near the stern of the yacht. Once the landing skids touched down, I took a deep breath.

“We’re safe,” Rei said.

He sounded a bit annoyed with my fear. That was fine. It was my first helicopter ride over miles of open sea. I had the right to be frightened.

The pilot spoke through the headphones. As before, I couldn’t understand. I turned to my husband for a translation.

“He’s ...